The #Cultural #Appropriation Paradox

“The networked world has led to another issue: a conflict that arises because anything can also mean something to someone else. Just ask Diet Prada, the Instagram account that hunts copycats. While in a pre-global world you could use a symbol taken from somewhere and no-one would be able to notice, in a multi-connected world everything is visible and anyone might — justly — seek to reclaim his or her property. Moreover, the question of why we can’t all share what the cultures of the world have to offer is a political one, deeply rooted in the power dynamics of history. Thanks to the Internet, suppressed cultures now have a voice and using cultural references can quickly devolve into public shaming”.